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Maharashtra

NCP leader Anil Deshmukh walks out of jail, slams ex-top cop Singh, Vaze

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Former minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday hit out at the former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh and sacked cop Sachin Vaze for making false allegations against him that led to his incarceration for nearly 14 months.

“I was jailed on the false allegations levelled by Param Bir Singh and Sachin Vaze. That same Singh later told the probe panel that his statements were based on rumours or hearsay and he had no evidence against me,” said Deshhmukh, 73, who walked out of the Arthur Road Central Jail here on bail.

He pointed out how the Bombay High Court judges had also taken note of this and observed that Singh’s statements could not be relied upon.

“Similarly, Vaze had a criminal bent of mind, he was suspended thrice from the Police Department by the Maharashtra government. He was involved in the planting of the explosive-laden vehicle outside the Antilia Building (the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani),” said Deshmukh.

Even on Vaze’s role, the high court had made observations that his statements were unreliable, and there was no basis to the allegations hurled against Deshmukh.

“On the basis of these baseless accusations, I had to undergo nearly 14 months in jail. However, I have full faith in the judiciary and I thank them. I also thank (NCP supremo Sharad) Pawar Saheb and his family, all other leaders and the entire party for having faith in me and standing behind me solidly throughout this ordeal,” said Deshmukh with folded hands.

Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar – who flew down in a special government flight from Nagpur, leaving the Legislature Session, flanked by his cousin and MP Priyaya Sule, NCP President Jayant Patil, senior leader Praful Patel, ex-ministers Dilip Walse-Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, MPs and MLAs, accorded a rousing welcome to Deshmukh.

Pawar, Patil and Bhujbal said that they were “extremely happy” that their close associate and senior leader Deshmukh was finally set free from jail where he was kept in fake cases out of vendetta.

After the Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea by the Central Bureau of Investigation to extend the stay on its order granting bail, the road was clear for Deshmukh’s release, said his lawyers Aniket Nikam and Inderpal Singh.

A single-judge vacation bench of Justice Santosh Chapalgaonkar declined to entertain the CBI plea against the backdrop of the regular court’s previous order that no plea for further extension of custody will be entertained, thus paving the way for his release.

When Deshmukh stepped out of the jail gates around 4.55 p.m., sporting his trademark dark waist-jacket and white kurta-pyjama, he was greeted with loud cheers, clapping, garlands and showers of flower petals by the hundreds of NCP activists and top leaders waiting for nearly two hours for his exit.

Deshmukh’s family members were also seen, smiling but with tears of joy streaming down their cheeks, along with close associates and other well-wishers.

Many NCP activists, men and women were seen dancing, a band played drums to salute the end of his incarceration and others distributed sweets on the road outside the ARCJ.

Seeming overwhelmed at the unexpected tumultuous welcome, a cheerful but weary Deshmukh initially folded his hands in acknowledgement at the gathering, initially declining comments.

Later, at the prodding by NCP leaders and the media, he stepped onto an open vehicle and gave a few bytes on his long jail sojourn, as other party leaders listened attentively.

Trailing a motorbike rally, Deshmukh later went for darshan at the famed Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi in a procession of several vehicles with activists waving NCP flags, and thereafter he is likely to call on Sharad Pawar.

Similar joyous scenes were witnessed at Deshmukh’s Nagpur residence with hundreds of supporters and party workers dancing with joy, sprinkling the celebratory red ‘gulal’, distributing sweets, as they watched the live telecast of his release in Mumbai.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: 268 Malabar Hill Citizens Above 85 Years Old Cast Vote From Home For Maharashtra Assembly Election

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Mumbai: The Election Commission of India has begun the vote-from-home facility across Maharashtra for the ensuing state assembly elections. The facility can be availed by citizens who have submitted the 12D form. In Mumbai’s high-profile Malabar Hill assembly, so far, 268 senior citizens who are more than 85-years old and 10 disabled voters have cast their vote, the EC’s Mumbai office informed.

The vote-from-home facility will be available till November 16. The voting for the 288 assemblies in Maharashtra will be held on Wednesday, November 20 and results will be declared on November 23.

The Election Commission of India launched the initiative to not only increase the voting percentage but also allow senior citizens and disabled persons to participate in the festival of democracy, who are not able to present at the polling stations. In ten constituencies of Mumbai city district, there are a total of 2,137 senior citizen voters above 85 years of age and 219 disabled voters.

Malabar Hill is one of the constituencies in Maharashtra which has a lover voter turnout. Before announcing the schedule for the assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has expressed concern over urban apathy of voters, including areas like Colaba in south Mumbai. The commission recently also held a special initiative for citizens of Colaba to encourage them to excersie their right to vote.

The election commission this time has decided to instal polling boths in residential high-rises for the convenience of the citizens. This will help to increase the voter turnout. This assembly elections, 1,185 polling stations will be installed in residential high-rises and complexes.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Elections 2024: Mumbai Metro & BEST Services Extended Till Midnight On Voting Day

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Mumbai: To facilitate the election staff to reach their destinations on time and allow the smooth conduct of Maharashtra assembly elections, the public transport services in Mumbai, including the Metro and BEST bus services have been extended till midnight on the day of voting. The polling will be held on Wednesday, November 20. The commission has already declared a mandatory public holiday in Mumbai on the polling day.

The directives were issued by Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner and Chief Electoral officer for Mumbai, Bhushan Gagrani after the Returning Officer had requested to extend the timings for public transport on the polling day to facilitate the election staff.

Gadrani has directed the MMRCL, Reliance Metro, and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) to extend their public transport services on poll day i.e. November 20, 2024. The directive mandates that the extended transport services will commence at 4:00 AM on November 20 and continue until 1:00 AM the following day, a press statement released by the EC says.

This decision aims to facilitate the timely and efficient attendance of election staff, who are required to report early to polling stations to carry out essential duties. The extended operation hours will also benefit voters and general commuters, ensuring uninterrupted travel across the city throughout the day, thereby increasing voter turnout.

Citizens and election staff are urged to plan their travel accordingly and take advantage of these extended public transport services. Further, Divyang and 85+ citizens can benefit from the low-floor deck of AC buses arranged for them, the statement released by EC adds.

The election commission has urged the citizens to stay informed and check for any updates related to polling day travel schedules.

Meanwhile, the commission has already directed a mandatory public holiday for all government and private sectors, including commercial establishments and traders. The objective is to allow the citizens to cast their votes. If a paid holiday is not granted, strict actions under the relevant sections will be taken by the Election Commission of India.

However, in exceptional circumstances where it is not possible to grant full day leave, employees can be given relaxation of at least four hours.

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Elections 2024: ‘Constitution Seems Blank To PM Modi Because He’s Never Read It,’ Says Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Fires Back At Prime Minister

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Nandurbar (Maharashtra): Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his attack on Rahul Gandhi for flaunting a ‘blank constitution’, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition said the Constitution seems blank to the Prime Minister because he has never read it in his life.

Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra today, Rahul said that the Prime Minister says that I show the Constitution in public meetings that is empty.

“Sanvidhan unke liye khali hai kyuki unhone ise zindagi mein pada nahi hai (The Constitution seems empty to him because he’s never read it in his life),” Rahul Gandhi said in a public gathering in poll-bound Maharashtra’s Nandurbar.

Attacking the Prime Minister further, the Congress leader said that the Constitution is not blank, but carries thoughts and ideas of thousand years.

“He has no idea what’s written inside this book; that’s why he says it’s empty. He says Rahul Gandhi shows a red book. It doesn’t matter to us what colour the book is; what matters is what’s written inside it. We are ready to give our lives for what it represents,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“I want to explain to the Prime Minister that this Constitution is not hollow. It is filled with thousands of years of thought. When you call it hollow, you disrespect Birsa Munda, Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, and others. This fight is about protecting it,” he added.

PM Modi’s Remarks

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi attacked Rahul Gandhi saying the “Laal Kitab” of the Constitution which the Congress was flaunting contained “nothing”.

“In ‘farziwada’, Congress has broken its own record. The ‘Laal Kitab’ of the Constitution which the Congress party was flaunting and distributing contained ‘nothing’. It was an empty book. This is nothing but a testament to Congress’ disregard and hate for Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The entire country is in shock over this foolish and unfortunate political play of Congress,” PM Modi said.

Rahul Gandhi Slams BJP Over Tribal Population

Further in his address, the Lok Sabha LoP slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over tribal population, and alleged that the Prime Minister and the BJP-RSS call indigenous people “Vanvasi” (forest dwellers) and carry out deforestation across the country.

“Congress introduced the Land Acquisition Bill to protect your land. The Tribal Rights Act granted you rights to the forest, land, and water. But as soon as the BJP government comes to power, they take your land and hand it over to billionaires. The term “Vanvasi” implies that your children should not become doctors or engineers, should not get jobs, and should not do business. “Adivasi,” on the other hand, means that your children can achieve anything. That is the difference between “Adivasi” and “Vanvasi,” Rahul said.

He further pointed out that in India, the Adivasi population is eight per cent, and their participation should match this percentage.

“I investigated the representation of Adivasis in the Indian government. There are 90 officials who run the government. If the government spends 100 rupees, how many Adivasi officials make decisions about it? Adivasi officials make decisions over just 10 paise of that amount. Out of 90, there is only one Adivasi official, who is side-lined. We need to change this, and the way to do it is through a caste census,” the Congress leader said.

The Lok Sabha LoP asserted that the Congress party has decided that as much money the Prime Minister waives off for billionaires, they will give to the common people.

Congress Leader On The Guarantees Promised

Highlighting his guarantees, the Congress MP said that under the Mahalaxmi Yojana, on the first day of every month, women will receive Rs 3,000 directly in their accounts.

“After that, we will provide free bus travel for women. Farmers will have up to three lakh rupees of debt waived. When farmers sell paddy, cotton, or soybeans, our government will provide MSP (Minimum Support Price). We will conduct the caste census,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“In Maharashtra, everyone will be provided with health insurance up to 25 lakh rupees. For any illness, you can go to the hospital and get treatment up to 25 lakh rupees free of charge. Unemployed youth will receive 4,000 rupees per month until they secure employment,” he added.

Congress Leader On Jobs

The Congress leader also alleged that the BJP has moved 5 lakh jobs from Maharashtra to other states.

“If we look at employment collectively, BJP has moved 5 lakh jobs from Maharashtra to other states. The INDIA bloc government will not do this. The projects of Maharashtra will remain here. We do not want projects from here to be shifted to other states, forcing Adivasis here to work as labourers there,” Rahul added.

Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024

The campaigning has intensified for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra with both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) making efforts to woo the electorate.

The polls are scheduled for November 20 and counting will be held on November 23.

In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, MVA posed a strong performance winning 30 of 48 seats, while the Mahayuti could only win 17.

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